#569 Why zero distance will make you better at your job episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 23, 2026 · 50 MIN

#569 Why zero distance will make you better at your job

from Squiggly Careers · host The Squiggly Career

How close are you to yourself, your team and the people you serve? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the concept of zero distance, a philosophy championed by brands like e.l.f. Beauty, and turn it into one of the most honest and practical self-reflection exercises they've done on the podcast. Using Post-it® Notes and a simple scale, they plot themselves live on six different dimensions of distance, from how well they know their own strengths and feelings, to how much feedback they really get from their team, to how close they are to the people they're there to help. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down - find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – What zero distance means and why brands like e.l.f. Beauty have made it their entire philosophy – How to use the zero distance framework across three areas: distance from yourself, your team and your customers – Why knowing your strengths isn't enough if you're not spending time on them – What Helen's "I'm fine, it's fine" taxi moment reveals about emotional distance at work – How to make feedback unmissable rather than occasional, and why rhythm matters more than quantity – What zero distance from your customers or learners actually looks like in practice (including a story about a credit card in a glass of orange juice) For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How close are you to yourself, your team and the people you serve? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the concept of zero distance, a philosophy championed by brands like e.l.f. Beauty, and turn it into one of the most honest and practical self-reflection exercises they've done on the podcast. Using Post-it® Notes and a simple scale, they plot themselves live on six different dimensions of distance, from how well they know their own strengths and feelings, to how much feedback they really get from their team, to how close they are to the people they're there to help. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down - find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – What zero distance means and why brands like e.l.f. Beauty have made it their entire philosophy – How to use the zero distance framework across three areas: distance from yourself, your team and your customers – Why knowing your strengths isn't enough if you're not spending time on them – What Helen's "I'm fine, it's fine" taxi moment reveals about emotional distance at work – How to make feedback unmissable rather than occasional, and why rhythm matters more than quantity – What zero distance from your customers or learners actually looks like in practice (including a story about a credit card in a glass of orange juice) For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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#569 Why zero distance will make you better at your job

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This episode is 50 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 23, 2026.

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How close are you to yourself, your team and the people you serve? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the concept of zero distance, a philosophy championed by brands like e.l.f. Beauty, and turn it into one of the most honest...

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